What are effective ways to prevent coach burnout?

Coach burnout can be avoided by setting boundaries, self-care and supervision. Boundaries between professional and personal life are important as this can help avoid burnout. In the ‘old days’ before lockdown and hybrid working, the commute home provided a useful boundary. Now we have to create a process/routine that allows the time and space, as if there was a commute from the office, enabling a separation physically and psychologically. Personal care insures that you look after yourself mentally and physically and see time for yourself as an investment. Take regular breaks, listen to music, read, watch Friends, walk the dog, go to the gym, be kind to yourself. Supervision can help to process client interactions, and ensure separation.

There's a classic HBR article called, "Who's Got the Monkey," wherein the "monkey" is a metaphor that represents a tasks or a problem...and the person who "has the monkey" is the person who owns it and is responsible for the next steps. Earlier in my executive coaching career, to prove my "value," I often ended up taking on and owning many of my clients' monkeys. And this immediately led to burnout and was unsustainable. So, the biggest shift I made was to ensure that at the end of every coaching session, the Coachee took all their monkeys with them. So, while I might have some follow-up action items like sending them a tool or article, the actual "work" to be done between coaching sessions was placed squarely on the shoulders of my client.

In my experience, and being a Strength Based Coach i really believe that you need to love what you do, meaning you have to play with the balcony of your strengths on your activities. In my case being a relator i love the 121 connection, deep, meaningful and long lasting relation, that gives me energy. Be very intelligent in the way you organize your diary avoiding back to back and "heavy" clients in the same days. One of the game changers for me is being accountable and well prepared for every session, giving yourself the time to look into last session, to prepare mentally for the conversation almost in a meditation state and visualize the flow..Last one being a sport man, every Coach needs a Coach, your own soundboard.

In my experience, coach “burn-out” is more likely to happen when a coach feels like they are not making measurable or demonstrable progress with their client. This feeling can be exacerbated by failure to work on specific and measurable challenges with one’s coaching. Whenever I am actively engaged with a client on solving for a clearly defined problem or skills development opportunity we both understand it is almost impossible not to be energized and excited. If a coach is preoccupied with setting boundaries, communicating their needs and struggling with client demands I would question their own skills and suitability for coaching.

Boundaries are super important : as coaches we are our own first clients: modelling the behaviours that we expect of clients is great practice and often means we have a calmer nervous system and can be more present for clients.

Eat well, sleep well, exercise, meditation/prayer/breathing exercises, journaling, authentic relationships, creative hobbies, volunteer, read and listen to music, and time in nature.

I am often told (and often in an accusatory tone) "I don't know how you find time to go to the gym". Being physically fit is important to prevent burnout. And having an hour every day when my phone is locked in a locker is just the best gift I can give myself.

Self-care is key because it approaches coaching from an optimal position of health. If I'm unhealthy (diet, exercise, sleep, stress, emotional intelligence, etc.) how can I help others improve their health and wellbeing? Another self-care tip is in scheduling. Allow 30 minutes between each scheduled session to permit sessions to go a bit long, and the take a mindset break to refocus. I've also intentionally scheduled a weekday off from coaching in order to remain fresh and energetic.

We are most effective to give or to support others from an "overflow cup". If we are depleted, we cannot give of our whole self, aka our best work. So awareness of one's own limits and what fills you are so crucial. Especially for empaths, who can have take on the emotions or energy of others around you, may need extra self care time to release & reset between clients. Best strategy is to not schedule back to back meetings, but block 5-10mins in your schedule to reset after and before the next meeting.

Self - care is for real. We tend to always make others feel happy or ensure customer care is always excellent. Often to the extent of self fatigue. Decide that today it’s about me. Drop the coffee, sodas and cocktails. Start with fresh spring water, teas of your choice, go for a walk or 20 minutes of exercise. Most importantly is to put the cell phones away for at least 30 minutes a day to catch your breathe and enjoy the sunshine ??

Absolutely, there should be no shame in seeking social support. It is always good to keep your circle in contact and best is to have even a smaller circle of friends who are like minded and provide honest feedback. Before taking a super tough decisions best is to ask for advise, this not only helps you but also builds you up for something better in the future

My victory over burnout: This is how you always stay fresh as a coach! Finally, I learned the importance of accepting help. Whether through professional support or exchanges with colleagues - you don't have to do everything alone. This step was crucial for me to avoid burnout

You may feel competitive but the best community for coaches are actually other coaches or service based business owners. Surround yourself with value and professionally aligned people. The relationships will add support, normalization, and connection.

One time at work we introduced an event where every coach could bring the current challenging case and get support, advice and guidance. It is priceless to know that you are not alone and someone has similar struggles and is there for you.

Seeking social support is a vital aspect of preventing coach burnout. Connecting with a network of fellow coaches, mentors, and friends not only provides valuable insights and encouragement but also reminds us that we're not alone in facing the challenges of coaching. Together, we can thrive and support one another's growth.

Education leads to Knowledge, Knowledge leads to Understanding, Understanding leads to Competency, Competency leads to Enthusiasm, and Enthusiasm is the key to avoiding burnout. Always be going somewhere, especially when it comes to learning! :)

As long as anyone can be a coach without any training or experience in anything, burnout, depression, and anxiety will plague coaches who are trying to succeed in a small business without any investment.

Stay engaged in professional development and continuous learning. Keeping your skills and knowledge up-to-date not only enhances your coaching effectiveness but also fosters a sense of growth and fulfillment, reducing the risk of burnout.

And remember to not sign up for too many courses at once or to not order 15 books in one go! Constant progress is more sustainable than adding things to your to-do list and having a feeling of falling behind.

I concur with a majority of what’s already shared here; it’s important to also highlight that continuous learning is probably more suited to “prevent” burnout rather than something one does when “starting to experience” burnout. We sometimes overload ourselves with high expectations that aggravate the situation rather than solving it. I enjoy learning and probably retain most learning when I have peace of mind

I'm uncomfortable self-promoting yet I'm thankful to the many clients who have posed recommendations on my LinkedIn profile. When I need a little boost, I can read what has been said to help me see that I have and can make a difference in the lives of the people I coach.

Acknowledge and celebrate your successes, both big and small. Recognizing your accomplishments fosters a positive mindset and reinforces the impact of your coaching efforts, helping to combat feelings of burnout and fatigue.

I struggle with this but I’m sure it helps. One thing I’ll be committed to doing moving forward though is to keep a folder on my phone where I store every client feedback and/or positive comments that I get from people. So, on days that I don’t feel motivated, I’ll draw strength from that folder.

In my experience celebrating achievements only works if it can be backed by data. Celebration needs to highlight (even smallest) of steps, on the way to the greatest objective.

Celebrating achievements can feel foreign, and even awkward at first to those who lead from a position of service, but it is a critical step necessary for rejuvenation and continuous improvement.

Regularly reflect on your coaching purpose and the positive impact you have on your clients. Reconnect with the meaningful aspects of your work, and remind yourself of the value you bring. This reflection can reignite motivation and prevent burnout by reinforcing a sense of purpose.

Purpose is a strong motivator, and lack of purpose is a depressant. It is easy to get distracted in life and lose our way, especially when running a small business, as most coaches do. Find ways to re-connect and stay focused on your purpose. It will energize you and guide your way.

As for anyone dealing with burnout, it is often a sign that the person went into automatic mode for a while and is continuously trying to do it all. When it comes to coaches, they are prone to it as well since their purpose is closely related to wanting to help others. Such a "task" is never fully achieved. If they become so focused on their coachees/clients, they might be giving more than what's left in their fuel tank without even noticing it. This is a sign of going into automatic mode. Anyone - including coaches - manifesting signs of burnout should ask themselves: am I doing this because I want the long list of tasks to be done and hence am doing it for the sake of doing/getting it done? How aware am I at the moment to guide others?

Purpose and sense are necessary and especially with reviewing myself on a regular level provides me with a good and positive portion of motivation and gives me the opportunity to be in a good mental balance.

Once you really get to grips with your purpose, and you ideal client, that brings you joy, you can protect your energy by learning to say no to everything that does not fit. It's sometimes hard, but it works.

It is important to self evaluate as much as you evaluate others in our career. I reflect at the end of my week to see how I am feeling and if my workload and the intensity of my coaching sessions is something I can take on. Or perhaps I can take on an even bigger workload. Don't feel that because you are coaching others exempts you from coaching yourself.

Listen to your body. Coaching provides us with instant and ongoing bio-feedback. When we are coaching we feel calm and energised because we are meeting our core human needs of connection and honouring the other. When clients drop into meta-cognitive states or sensate experience they are freed up to ‘frame slide’ and approach their real-world challenges in new ways. This is naturally energising for both coach and client. When we slip into doing the heavy lifting for them, we can feel tired or wired. We feel an unsustainable expenditure of energy. Your bio-feedback keeps telling you if you are coaching or not. Tune in, and you will serve clients better and you will operate in ways that are sustainable for you too! Best wishes.

I've had the luxury of already having an occupational pension, so I'm not reliant on income through coaching. I suspect this gives me the ability to exercise choice, and also do pro bono work which isn't possible for everyone. But I have 3 thoughts. 1. Access to coaching supervision is invaluable for working through tricky situations. 2. I would personally describe burnout as either lack of chemistry, or a sense of boredom. Every willing coachee presents an opportunity to enable someone to flourish, and is stimulating, even if some elements feel 'the same old thing' - everyone is different in practice. If it doesn't feel right... 3.....stop the relationship.

1. Setting boundaries. 2. Following a self care ritual 3. Most important is the ability to be able to laugh at oneself and not take the role too seriously.

Take Atleast 45 min to an hour break between 2 sessions Figure out how many sessions you can do in a day and stick to those Keep recharging yourself by indulging in meditation , spending time with family and friends